Teton Raptor Center helps rescue bald eagle
WILSON, Wyo. (KIFI/KIDK) -UPDATE: 3:10 PM
When the eagle crashed through his window, Moulton said he thought a tree had fallen in his house. He thought the eagle had died, but after a few minutes he saw it perched on his fly-tying desk.
Teton Raptor Center Rehabilitation Director Meghan Warren captured the bird. She said it was alert and fought back, sending some shards of glass flying. As it was taken outside, she said another eagle, believed to be its mate, called from overhead.
"I've rescued many raptors from unusual situations, but never a bald eagle in a house," said Warren, "We will do our best to get this eagle back to full health so that it can be released where it came from and resume its incredible life."
A band on the bird's leg was submitted to the USGS Bird Banding Lab. At first, they believed it was an incorrect number or unusually old. The eagle turned out to be 30 years old. It was banded in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem in 1989, making it one of the oldest documented eagles in the wild. The average life span of an eagle in the wild is 20 years.
The Center's rehabilitation team found trauma and lacerations to both feet, both wings, and a minor abrasion on the right eye. The eagle exhibited signs of a concussion. It was treated and placed in the Center's oxygen chamber.
Jackson Animal Hospital veterinarian Dr. Heather Carleton sutured several open wounds.
The Center's mission is to rehabilitate raptors for release. The goal is to eventually release this eagle back where it came from in time to reunite with its mate and have a successful breeding year.
Teton Raptor Center is currently caring for 12 raptor patients representing 10 species. It is the third patient admitted to the rehabilitation clinic in 2020.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The Teton Raptor Center in Wilson says a 30-year-old bald eagle is recovering after crashing into a home window Tuesday.
Reed Moulton told us he was lying in his bed in Hoback, Wyoming Tuesday morning when the eagle came crashing through his double-paned window. He said he contacted Wyoming Game and Fish which, in turn, called the Teton Raptor Center.
According to the Center, the eagle survived the crash. The USGS leg bands reveal the eagle has been living in the area for 30 years. It is currently recuperating in the Center's oxygen tank with minor cuts and scrapes, head trauma and severe bruising, but no obvious broken bones.
The Center planned x-rays to check for fractures Wednesday.
You can learn more about the Teton Raptor Center here.
